


No, it's not...it's not like that

by serendipitous_rambles



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Dustin and Max, F/M, Fluff, One Shot, dax?, how did it end up like this, i don't know the ship name for max/dustin, i was only lightly shipping it but now look where i am, its was only a ship (it was only a ship), mileven in the background, mustin?, who knows - Freeform, why am i like this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 11:56:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11828247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serendipitous_rambles/pseuds/serendipitous_rambles
Summary: Max struggles with her feelings for Dustin. She can't really be crushing on him? So she confides in El about her possible, maybe, small, tiny crush on him...





	No, it's not...it's not like that

**1988**

 

One thing was for certain. Max did not, in any way, _like_ Dustin. Not like that. Sure he was her friend; he was funny, made her laugh. But no sir, she did not think of him like _that_. He was annoying and loud and his hair was always a mess - his adorable curly hair. No. She didn't think of how his laugh sent butterflies to her stomach and she  _certainly_ didn't think about his smile that caused little dimples to form that she could spend all day just staring at. Max _definitely_ didn't feel a slight twinge of jealously tug at her heart whenever she saw Mike and El together - sometimes it was as if the others weren't there they were so caught up in their own little world together. She caught herself and blushed whenever she thought  _that could be me and Dustin..._ because how ridiclous is that? She doesn't feel that way about him so she should stop staring at his eyes that seemed to light up whenever he laughed. Yes, she should stop. But she can't.

"El...?" Max said slowly. On Tuesdays after school it was just them as the boys still had AV club - the only ones at Hawkins High that attended the club. On those days, especially in the summer Max and El would go around the neighbourhood, El on her bike and Max on her skateboard, then they would sit by the lake reading comics or books or drawing - anything.  But when it got colder, they would go back to Hopper's house and hang out together. 

El stopped reading and looked up, her bob length hair covering her eyes. She brushed it away. "Yeah?" she smiled.

Max looked down blushing. Why had she thought this was as good idea to talk about. It's so embarrassing. But El was expecting her to say something now. With a deep sigh Max thought  _here goes nothing._

"Is this about Dustin?" El blurted out, noticing how Max had gone red before speaking. 

"Wha- I- it's not- it's not like that..." Max looked down at her hands.  _Shit, am I that obvious?_

"Max, friends don't lie."

"Fine, maybe, I don't know. I might, sorta, kinda have a small, tiny, barely even there, crush on...Dustin..." she whispered his name.

El's eyes lit up and she clapped a hand over her mouth in excitement. 

"Don't make it weird." Max tried to be casual but the adrenaline of finally admitting her feelings was making her jittery, she was shaking her leg up and down.

"I'm not, I'm cool." El shrugged but Max could see the smile begin to creep on her face. "How long?"

"I don't know. A while maybe. Ugh I just make such a fool of myself in front of him." Max laid back on El's bed, hands covering her eyes.

"That's not true- oh..." Both suddenly remembered how the other day Max had caught her hair in her locker when she saw Dustin in the hall at school. He had smiled that damn smile and next thing she knew she was awkwardly leaning against the locker until he had left, El freeing her and agreeing to never mention that accident to anyone- not even Mike.

"It's his stupid smile, and those dimples!" Max sat up throwing her hands in the air. "Those stupid, adorable dimples."

El laughed at how her once cool and collected friend was getting all flustered over a boy. Over Dustin for goodness sake. Everyone knew Dustin has had a crush on Max since they met back in middle school. Everyone except Max.

"I think you should talk to him." El smiled and Max caught the look of mischief in her eye.

"Are you crazy?! I can't talk to him about that! We're friends...it'll-it'll ruin it."

El rolled her eyes, how oblivious could Max be.

"And don't go giving me the whole "me and Mike" spiel because it's different. Mike has never been good at subtlety and it's obvious he's head over heels for you but Dustin..." Max laid back again, her voice died to a whisper and shook a little as if she were trying not to cry. Her voice was low and slow. "If I go and tell him how I feel, it could ruin any chance of friendship we have. If we can't- can't  _be_ _together_ , I'd rather be his friend than lose any connection with him. I couldn't bare it."

 

"But would him knowing your feelings be such a bad thing?" El asked quietly. 

"I'm not just going to run up to him and shout: Dustin Henderson, you are without a doubt the most annoying person I've ever met, but whenever I'm around you I go from this cool, collected girl to this bumbling dork. All because of your goofy smile and damn dimples and that stupid hat hiding those adorable curls. I think I'm in love with you."

"Why not?" a familiar voice spoke and Max's heart dropped to her feet. _Oh shit. Oh shit did he just hear that?_

The boys had come over unexpectedly as AV club had been cancelled. Hopper had let them in and neither El or Max had heard them walk in.

Max slowly sat up and saw Dustin smiling - that boy, he made her crazy, and she immediately hid behind her hands. El had nodded towards the kitchen with her head to Lucas and Will where they slowly backed away to. She pulled Mike by the hand.

"But I wanted to see what-"

"Give them privacy." El whispered as she pulled her boyfriend to the kitchen and closed her bedroom door behind her.

"You...um...heard that?" Max awkwardly stood up to face Dustin.

"Unless...you didn't want me to and in that case I can pretend I didn't." he awkwardly laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I ruined everything didn't I?" she looked down. He hesitantly reached out to touch her hand.

"I uh...wow. I've wanted to say this for like, 4 years." he never took his eyes away from their intertwined hands. "But...I like...think I'm in love with you too."

She reached up and took his baseball hat off and ran her hand briefly through his hair. She kissed his blushing cheek.

He then took the hat from her hands and placed it on her head. "I think it looks a lot better on you." he smiled.

"Definitely." And she grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and kissed him. Neither noticing the 4 pairs of eyes spying on them through the crack in the door.

 


End file.
